BS: For the birds

Subject: BS: For the birds
From: Raptor
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 07:35 AM

Yesterday I, along with 30 other people, saw a Prothonotary Warbler at Tiny Marsh in Ontario North of Barrie

This is a huge deal!
There are only 17 siteings of this bird in Ont. at all! And the last one was 1974!

Not to mention that we don't get many Warblers before May!

David

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Azizi
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 08:08 AM

Ooh! Did you mention number 17??!! I love it!

See this thread:

Lucky Charms

But seriously, Raptor, congratulations on your sighting of the Prothonotary Warbler.

I guess that other people have seen this bird and not known that what they were seeing was unusual for that locale or that time.

What does it mean?! Something good I hope.


Peace,
Azizi

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: RangerSteve
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 09:44 AM

Last year there was a Mississippi Kite in the Delaware Valley between NJ and PA. News got out all over the country, except, of course, to the State Park where I work, and where the kite was mostly hanging out at. People from as far away as Ohio were coming into the park office asking about "the kite", and I thought they were talking about the kind that you make with paper and string, and I told them I knew nothing about it. It took me about two weeks to find out what was really going on. Apparantly, a Mississippi Kite doesn't normally stray into northern states. This year I'll know to look for it.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 10:33 AM

I found out this week that my coal tits are really great tits... looks like they're nesting in my buddlea again. The blue tits may have found another nest in a nearby garden, but maybe not.. I think they're starting to get broody because I've not seen them flitting about and playing in the trees recently.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: 42
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 11:29 AM

missed that warbler last week Raptor. Did see a lovely Great Gray though just past the woods on the south dike.
j

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Celtaddict
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 12:06 PM

Here on the Connecticut coastline I looked out a recent morning and saw something large and blue-grey hanging about near the feeder. On closer inspection it turns out to be a spruce grouse, which normally does not live around here.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: CarolC
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 02:13 PM

Congratulations, Raptor! That's very cool.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Raptor
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 07:18 PM

Corection: First siting for Simcoe County since 74.

They are not rare for suoth Ontario!

Still I went back to see him today!

Raptor

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Peace
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 07:23 PM

Picture here.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Bobert
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 07:29 PM

Well, this ain't all that earth shatterin' but on the way to town today I spied a young titmouse in the other lane... Foruneately he was right in the middle so by the time I got turned around and got back there he hadn't been hit... Whew... So a 100 foot walk back in the woods is where I took the little feller and I reckon he'll be fine.. He can scrounge a few bugs and a day 'er two should have his act together to be flyin'....

Seems every year I rescue a titmouse...

Thens it's turtle season...

Possums....

and then it starts all over again...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: 42
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 08:19 PM

raptor

should've called me.

j

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: The Shambles
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 02:20 AM

Us European birders have to put up with Old World Warblers - which are mainly LBJs (or Little Brown Jobs).

I shall never forget my first sighting of a New World Warbler at Devil's Tower Wyoming. The rest of the tour pary never did let me forget it - as they had to drag me back on the bus..........Little gems - all of them.

Even the feast for the eyes that is laughingly called the Common Yellowthroat.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: GUEST,Allen
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 04:36 AM

I think my rarest sighting was a lammergeier.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: The Shambles
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 02:55 PM

My rarest was undoubtably (and completly unexpectedly) a California Condor in the Grand Canyon.

Actually Mrs Shambles saw it first (insisting that she kept seeing this huge black bird) and I kept telling her that she must be seeing Turkey Vultures.

Then I also saw it!

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: PoppaGator
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 03:31 PM

I found out this week that my coal tits are really great tits..

Liz, glad to hear you have great tits.

;^)

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: GUEST,Allen
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 05:49 PM

I think my sighting of the lamergeier was one of four or five sightings reported here in more than THIRTY-FIVE YEARS.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: The Shambles
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 08:27 PM

http://www.grandcanyonfoundation.org/projects/condor.html

We tend to use the word 'rare' to mean uncommon locally - or not often seen at certain times of the year - or difficult to find. When in fact the world population of many of these so-called 'rare' species may run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of individual birds.

As there are now only 100 or so California Condors in the wild and half of these are in the Grand Canyon - you can see why I consider this to be the rarest bird species that I have been lucky enough to have ever seen in the wild. Plus the factor that the chances of us seeing one of these birds - on the one day we had to spend in this huge area - means that I feel that we were very fortunate indeed.......It was certainly a sight that I will never forget.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: The Shambles
Date: 19 Apr 05 - 04:54 AM

http://www.birdforum.net/bird_view.php?bid=4464

I have always liked the idea of having a pet lammergeier - just so I could called it - Bonecrusher Smith.

Where did you see your one Allen?

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: GUEST,Allen
Date: 19 Apr 05 - 08:11 AM

Lammergeiers are rare anyway. I saw mine above Wadi Ammud, which is in northern Israel, next to the Sea of Galilee. It's also home to one of the last vulture colonies. My brother had seen one several weeks before I did, but about 45 miles up north, anyway reckon it was the same one. This was in 1998 or thereabouts.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Bobert
Date: 19 Apr 05 - 08:29 AM

Well, well, well...

The hummingbirds have returned this mornin'... Thay weren't here yesterday but sho nuff here, and hungry, this mornin'... Cookin' up some yummy sugar watre fir right now...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 05:21 AM

My tits have vanished.. I think they're brooding somewhere.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Apr 05 - 10:25 AM

I'm sure I posted to this thread yesterday, but my entry has vanished, though my little house finches have not. They're nesting in a plastic grocery bag filled with zinnia heads from last year. It's hanging on the ornamental iron bars over the non-opening side of my sliding glass doors, up out of the rain and direct sun. Good spot, but I was concerned the bag wouldn't hold up all season, so I slipped a couple of more over it when they weren't looking. Doesn't seem to bother them at all that their original yellow house is now white. And the cats can watch this excited bird activity through the glass door. How exciting!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: open mike
Date: 21 Apr 05 - 12:30 AM

Goldfinches were flitting about in my garden today.
they are not shy...
also saw a scissors tail fly catcher
they tend to nest close to humans..
especially like rafters and eves.

a neighbor had a bird build a nest in the
window sill of the bathroom...when the
window was open. they could not close the
window til the babies had fledged.

we have had herons nesting by our poond...
the small green ones or maybe night herons.

sometimes a GBH will visit (Great Blue Heron)
if you do not see them, you might see giant
plops of their poop!

a wild turkey was seen in a neighbor's yard
last week.

a few years ago when there was a fire, a few
emus were seen running wild...i guess they had
hopped their fence to escape the flames.

i saw a couple of bald eagles circling over head
a few weeks ago...hopefully they were doing a
mating dance.

Kingfishers often fly over my house on their way
to go fishing.

i found a nest made completely from horse's tail hair
and another with tinsel, ribbon and fibers from those
blue woven tarps.

Subject: RE: BS: For the birds
From: GUEST,ragdall
Date: 21 Apr 05 - 05:59 AM

"The hummingbirds have returned this mornin'... Thay weren't here yesterday but sho nuff here, and hungry, this mornin'."

The hummingbirds arrived here on Apr. 20th. The first White Crowned Sparrows bounced in, too. Does this mean it's spring?